How Supermarkets Are Shaping Brazil's Savannah (Infographic)

We all know about Brazil's rainforests and how rapidly they're disappearing to serve every need from toilet paper to feed for pigs. However, we don't necessarily know much about Brazil's Cerrado Savannah, which is under just as much pressure as supermarkets strive for stocked shelves. WWF has launched a campaign, Save the Cerrado, to bring awareness to how we are endangering the savannah without even realizing it. And it all comes down to soya.

WWF states, "As much as 21% of Brazil is covered by the little-known but precious Cerrado savannah. But right now the Cerrado is disappearing faster than the Amazon rainforest. One of the main causes is commercial agriculture - especially vast fields of soya. We can all help by simple changes in our eating habits - and by persuading supermarkets to source soya that does not cause deforestation."

In the last 40 years, about half of the natural Cerrado has been destroyed as farmers change the soil makeup to grow cereal crops. As home to over 30% of the species of Brazil, and 5% of all the species in the world, the fact that it is disappearing so rapidly is of serious concern.